Best motherboard for under $100.00

[fcwedd]

I'm currently looking for a reliable motherboard that's under $100.00. I know that it won't have all the bells and whistles like the bigger boards, but that's the life of a poor student

I currently have the following:

Intel Quad Q8200 1333 FSB
en9800GTX+
250 GB Sata WD Caviar SE
OCZ 600w PS GamerX something...

I know my gear isn't the best. However, I'm just looking for a decent board that won't give me any bottlenecks etc. I'm also looking for something that has some decent sound, as I don't own an X-Fi or anything like that. As far as the ram in concerned, I'll pick that up later depending on what board I get e.g., DDR2 800, 1066, etc.

Anything come to mind?

thanks

 

[GhislainG]

Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128372

Asus P5QL PRO http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131329

Don't expect the best sound from a $100 motherboard, but it should be quite good for that price range.

You'll always have a bottleneck somewhere and a $100 motherboard can be as fast as a $200 motherboard. The difference is that the less expensive one might not overclock as well.

Buy good 800Mhz memory like the G.Skill PI Black and get a Gigabyte EP45-UD3R for $105 after MIR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359. You'll probably be much happier as it's performance is excellent and the onboard sound is better than the less expensive motherboards.